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Author Kroug, M.; Cherednichenko, S.; Merkel, H.; Kollberg, E.; Voronov, B.; Gol'tsman, G.; Hübers, H. W.; Richter, H.
Title NbN hot electron bolometric mixers for terahertz receivers Type Journal Article
Year 2001 Publication IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. Abbreviated Journal (down) IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond.
Volume 11 Issue 1 Pages 962-965
Keywords NbN HEB mixers
Abstract Sensitivity and gain bandwidth measurements of phonon-cooled NbN superconducting hot-electron bolometer mixers are presented. The best receiver noise temperatures are: 700 K at 1.6 THz and 1100 K at 2.5 THz. Parylene as an antireflection coating on silicon has been investigated and used in the optics of the receiver. The dependence of the mixer gain bandwidth (GBW) on the bias voltage has been measured. Starting from low bias voltages, close to operating conditions yielding the lowest noise temperature, the GBW increases towards higher bias voltages, up to three times the initial value. The highest measured GBW is 9 GHz within the same bias range the noise temperature increases by a factor of two.
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Call Number Serial 312
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Author Meledin, D.; Tong, C. Y.-E.; Blundell, R.; Kaurova, N.; Smirnov, K.; Voronov, B.; Gol'tsman, G.
Title Study of the IF bandwidth of NbN HEB mixers based on crystalline quartz substrate with an MgO buffer layer Type Journal Article
Year 2003 Publication IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. Abbreviated Journal (down) IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond.
Volume 13 Issue 2 Pages 164-167
Keywords NbN HEB mixer
Abstract In this paper, we present the results of IF bandwidth measurements on 3-4 nm thick NbN hot electron bolometer waveguide mixers, which have been fabricated on a 200-nm thick MgO buffer layer deposited on a crystalline quartz substrate. The 3-dB IF bandwidth, measured at an LO frequency of 0.81 THz, is 3.7 GHz at the optimal bias point for low noise receiver operation. We have also made measurements of the IF dynamic impedance, which allow us to evaluate the intrinsic electron temperature relaxation time and self-heating parameters at different bias conditions.
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Call Number Serial 341
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Author Schwaab, G.W.; Sirmain, G.; Schubert, J.; Hubers, H.-W.; Gol'tsman, G.; Cherednichenko, S.; Verevkin, A.; Voronov, B.; Gershenzon, E.
Title Investigation of NbN phonon-cooled HEB mixers at 2.5 THz Type Journal Article
Year 1999 Publication IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. Abbreviated Journal (down) IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond.
Volume 9 Issue 2 Pages 4233-4236
Keywords NbN HEB mixers
Abstract The development of superconducting hot electron bolometric (HEB) mixers has been a big step forward in the direction of quantum noise limited mixer performance at THz frequencies. Such mixers are crucial for the upcoming generation of airborne and spaceborne THz heterodyne receivers. In this paper we report on new results on a phonon-cooled NbN HEB mixer using e-beam lithography. The superconducting film is 3 nm thick. The mixer is 0.2 μm long and 1.5 μm wide and it is integrated in a spiral antenna on a Si substrate. The device is quasi-optically coupled through a Si lens and a dielectric beam combiner to the radiation of an optically pumped FIR ring gas laser cavity. The performance of the mixer at different THz frequencies from 0.69 to 2.55 THz with an emphasis on 2.52 THz is demonstrated. At 2.52 THz minimum DSB noise temperatures of 4200 K have been achieved at an IF of 1.5 GHz and a bandwidth of 40 MHz with the mixer mounted in a cryostat and a 0.8 m long signal path in air.
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Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1051-8223 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved no
Call Number Serial 550
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Author Lobanov, Y.V.; Tong, C.-Y.E.; Hedden, A.S.; Blundell, R.; Voronov, B.M.; Gol'tsman, G.N.
Title Direct measurement of the gain and noise bandwidths of HEB mixers Type Journal Article
Year 2011 Publication IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. Abbreviated Journal (down) IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond.
Volume 21 Issue 3 Pages 645-648
Keywords waveguide NbN HEB mixers
Abstract The intermediate frequency (IF) bandwidth of a hot electron bolometer (HEB) mixer is an important parameter of the mixer, in that it helps to determine its suitability for a given application. With the availability of wideband low noise amplifiers, it is simple to measure the performance of an HEB mixer over a wide range of IF at a fixed LO frequency using the standard Y-factor method. This in-situ method allows us to measure both the gain and noise bandwidths simultaneously. We have also measured mixer output impedance with a vector network analyser. Intrinsic time constant has been extracted from the impedance data and compared to the mixer's bandwidths determined from receiver Y-factor measurement.
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Notes Approved no
Call Number RPLAB @ gujma @ Serial 720
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Author Schuck, C.; Pernice, W. H. P.; Minaeva, O.; Li, Mo; Gol'tsman, G.; Sergienko, A. V.; Tang, H. X.
Title Matrix of integrated superconducting single-photon detectors with high timing resolution Type Journal Article
Year 2013 Publication IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. Abbreviated Journal (down) IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond.
Volume 23 Issue 3 Pages 2201007-2201007
Keywords NbN SSPD, SNSPD, array, matrix
Abstract We demonstrate a large grid of individually addressable superconducting single photon detectors on a single chip. Each detector element is fully integrated into an independent waveguide circuit with custom functionality at telecom wavelengths. High device density is achieved by fabricating the nanowire detectors in traveling wave geometry directly on top of silicon-on-insulator waveguides. Our superconducting single photon detector matrix includes detector designs optimized for high detection efficiency, low dark count rate, and high timing accuracy. As an example, we exploit the high timing resolution of a particularly short nanowire design to resolve individual photon round-trips in a cavity ring-down measurement of a silicon ring resonator.
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ISSN 1051-8223 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved no
Call Number Serial 1373
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Author Trifonov, A.; Tong, C.-Y. E.; Blundell, R.; Ryabchun, S.; Gol'tsman, G.
Title Probing the stability of HEB mixers with microwave injection Type Journal Article
Year 2015 Publication IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. Abbreviated Journal (down) IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond.
Volume 25 Issue 3 Pages 2300404 (1 to 4)
Keywords NbN HEB mixer, stability, Allan-variance
Abstract Using a microwave probe as a tool, we have performed experiments aimed at understanding the origin of the output-power fluctuations in hot-electron-bolometer (HEB) mixers. We use a probe frequency of 1.5 GHz. The microwave probe picks up impedance changes of the HEB, which are examined upon demodulation of the reflected wave outside the cryostat. This study shows that the HEB mixer operates in two different regimes under a terahertz pump. At a low pumping level, strong pulse modulation is observed, as the device switches between the superconducting state and the normal state at a rate of a few megahertz. When pumped much harder, to approximate the low-noise mixer operating point, residual modulation can still be observed, showing that the HEB mixer is intrinsically unstable even in the resistive state. Based on these observations, we introduced a low-frequency termination to the HEB mixer. By terminating the device in a 50-Ω resistor in the megahertz frequency range, we have been able to improve the output-power Allan time of our HEB receiver by a factor of four to about 10 s for a detection bandwidth of 15 MHz, with a corresponding gain fluctuation of about 0.035%.
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Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1051-8223 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved no
Call Number Serial 1355
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Author Gol’tsman, G.; Okunev, O.; Chulkova, G.; Lipatov, A.; Dzardanov, A.; Smirnov, K.; Semenov, A.; Voronov, B.; Williams, C.; Sobolewski, R.
Title Fabrication and properties of an ultrafast NbN hot-electron single-photon detector Type Journal Article
Year 2001 Publication IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. Abbreviated Journal (down) IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond.
Volume 11 Issue 1 Pages 574-577
Keywords NbN SSPD, SNSPD
Abstract A new type of ultra-high-speed single-photon counter for visible and near-infrared wavebands based on an ultrathin NbN hot-electron photodetector (HEP) has been developed. The detector consists of a very narrow superconducting stripe, biased close to its critical current. An incoming photon absorbed by the stripe produces a resistive hotspot and causes an increase in the film’s supercurrent density above the critical value, leading to temporary formation of a resistive barrier across the device and an easily measurable voltage pulse. Our NbN HEP is an ultrafast (estimated response time is 30 ps; registered time, due to apparatus limitations, is 150 ps), frequency unselective device with very large intrinsic gain and negligible dark counts. We have observed sequences of output pulses, interpreted as single-photon events for very weak laser beams with wavelengths ranging from 0.5 /spl mu/m to 2.1 /spl mu/m and the signal-to-noise ratio of about 30 dB.
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Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1558-2515 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved no
Call Number Serial 1547
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Author Lobanov, Y.; Shcherbatenko, M.; Semenov, A.; Kovalyuk, V.; Kahl, O.; Ferrari, S.; Korneev, A.; Ozhegov, R.; Kaurova, N.; Voronov, B. M.; Pernice, W. H. P.; Gol'tsman, G. N.
Title Superconducting nanowire single photon detector for coherent detection of weak signals Type Journal Article
Year 2017 Publication IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. Abbreviated Journal (down) IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond.
Volume 27 Issue 4 Pages 1-5
Keywords NbN SSPD mixer, SNSPD, nanophotonic waveguide
Abstract Traditional photon detectors are operated in the direct detection mode, counting incident photons with a known quantum efficiency. Here, we have investigated a superconducting nanowire single photon detector (SNSPD) operated as a photon counting mixer at telecommunication wavelength around 1.5 μm. This regime of operation combines excellent sensitivity of a photon counting detector with excellent spectral resolution given by the heterodyne technique. Advantageously, we have found that low local oscillator (LO) power of the order of hundreds of femtowatts to a few picowatts is sufficient for clear observation of the incident test signal with the sensitivity approaching the quantum limit. With further optimization, the required LO power could be significantly reduced, which is promising for many practical applications, such as the development of receiver matrices or recording ultralow signals at a level of less-than-one-photon per second. In addition to a traditional NbN-based SNSPD operated with normal incidence coupling, we also use detectors with a travelling wave geometry, where a NbN nanowire is placed on the top of a Si 3 N 4 nanophotonic waveguide. This approach is fully scalable and a large number of devices could be integrated on a single chip.
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Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1051-8223 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved no
Call Number Serial 1206
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Author Hajenius, M.; Yang, Z. Q.; Gao, J. R.; Baselmans, J. J. A.; Klapwijk, T. M.; Voronov, B.; Gol'tsman, G.
Title Optimized sensitivity of NbN hot electron bolometer mixers by annealing Type Journal Article
Year 2007 Publication IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. Abbreviated Journal (down) IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond.
Volume 17 Issue 2 Pages 399-402
Keywords NbN HEB mixers
Abstract We report that the heterodyne sensitivity of superconducting hot-electron bolometers (HEBs) increases by 25-30% after annealing at 85degC in high vacuum. The devices studied are twin-slot antenna coupled mixers with a small area NbN bridge of 1 mum times 0.15 mum, above which there is a SiO 2 passivation layer. The mixer noise temperature, gain, and resistance versus temperature curve of a HEB before and after annealing are compared and analysed. We show that the annealing reduces the intrinsic noise of the mixer by 37% and makes the superconducting transition of the bridge and the contacts sharper. We argue that the reduction ofthe noise is mainly due to the improvement of the transparency of the contact/film interface. The lowest receiver noise temperature of 700 K is measured at a local oscillator frequency of 1.63 THz and at a bath temperature of 4.2 K.
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Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1051-8223 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved no
Call Number Serial 1426
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Author Zolotov, P. I.; Semenov, A. V.; Divochiy, A. V.; Goltsman, G. N.; Romanov, N. R.; Klapwijk, T. M.
Title Dependence of photon detection efficiency on normal-state sheet resistance in marginally superconducting films of NbN Type Journal Article
Year 2021 Publication IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. Abbreviated Journal (down) IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond.
Volume 31 Issue 5 Pages 1-5
Keywords NbN SSPD, SNSPD
Abstract We present an extensive set of data on nanowire-type superconducting single-photon detectors based on niobium-nitride (NbN) to establish the empirical correlation between performance and the normal-state resistance per square. We focus, in particular, on the bias current, compared to the expected depairing current, needed to achieve a near-unity detection efficiency for photon detection. The data are discussed within the context of a model in which the photon energy triggers the movement of vortices i.e. superconducting dissipation, followed by thermal runaway. Since the model is based on the non-equilibrium theory for conventional superconductors deviations may occur, because the efficient regime is found when NbN acts as a marginal superconductor in which long-range phase coherence is frustrated.
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Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1051-8223 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved no
Call Number Serial 1222
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Author Zolotov, P.; Semenov, A.; Divochiy, A.; Goltsman, G.
Title A comparison of VN and NbN thin films towards optimal SNSPD efficiency Type Journal Article
Year 2021 Publication IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. Abbreviated Journal (down) IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond.
Volume 31 Issue 5 Pages 1-4
Keywords NbN SSPD, SNSPD, WSi
Abstract Based on early phenomenological ideas about the operation of superconducting single-photon detectors (SSPD or SNSPD), it was expected that materials with a lower superconducting gap should perform better in the IR range. The plausibility of this concept could be checked using two popular SSPD materials – NbN and WSi films. However, these materials differ strongly in crystallographic structure (polycrystalline B1 versus amorphous), which makes their dependence on disorder different. In our work we present a study of the single-photon response of SSPDs made from two disordered B1 structure superconductors – vanadium nitride and niobium nitride thin films. We compare the intrinsic efficiency of devices made from films with different sheet resistance values. While both materials have a polycrystalline structure and comparable diffusion coefficient values, VN films show metallic behavior over a wide range of sheet resistance, in contrast to NbN films with an insulator-like temperature dependence of resistivity, which may be partially due to enhanced Coulomb interaction, leading to different starting points for the normal electron density of states. The results show that even though VN devices are more promising in terms of theoretical predictions, their optimal performance was not reached due to lower values of sheet resistance.
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Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
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ISSN 1051-8223 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved no
Call Number Serial 1223
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Author Trifonov, A.; Tong, C.-Y. E.; Grimes, P.; Lobanov, Y.; Kaurova, N.; Blundell, R.; Goltsman, G.
Title Development of a silicon membrane-based multipixel hot electron bolometer receiver Type Journal Article
Year 2017 Publication IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. Abbreviated Journal (down) IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond.
Volume 27 Issue 4 Pages 1-5
Keywords Multi-pixel, NbN HEB, silicon-on-insulator, horn array
Abstract We report on the development of a multipixel hot electron bolometer (HEB) receiver fabricated using silicon membrane technology. The receiver comprises a 2 × 2 array of four HEB mixers, fabricated on a single chip. The HEB mixer chip is based on a superconducting NbN thin-film deposited on top of the silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate. The thicknesses of the device layer and handling layer of the SOI substrate are 20 and 300 μm, respectively. The thickness of the device layer is chosen such that it corresponds to a quarter-wave in silicon at 1.35 THz. The HEB mixer is integrated with a bow-tie antenna structure, in turn designed for coupling to a circular waveguide, fed by a monolithic drilled smooth-walled horn array.
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Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1051-8223 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved no
Call Number Serial 1324
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Author Trifonov, A.; Tong, C.-Y. E.; Lobanov, Y.; Kaurova, N.; Blundell, R.; Goltsman, G.
Title Photon absorption near the gap frequency in a hot electron bolometer Type Journal Article
Year 2017 Publication IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. Abbreviated Journal (down) IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond.
Volume 27 Issue 4 Pages 1-4
Keywords NBN HEB mixer
Abstract The superconducting energy gap is a fundamental characteristic of a superconducting film, which, together with the applied pump power and the biasing setup, defines the instantaneous resistive state of the Hot Electron Bolometer (HEB) mixer at any given bias point on the I-V curve. In this paper we report on a series of experiments, in which we subjected the HEB to radiation over a wide frequency range along with parallel microwave injection. We have observed three distinct regimes of operation of the HEB, depending on whether the radiation is above the gap frequency, far below it or close to it. These regimes are driven by the different patterns of photon absorption. The experiments have allowed us to derive the approximate gap frequency of the device under test as about 585 GHz. Microwave injection was used to probe the HEB impedance. Spontaneous switching between the superconducting (low resistive) state and a quasi-normal (high resistive) state was observed. The switching pattern depends on the particular regime of HEB operation and can assume a random pattern at pump frequencies below the gap to a regular relaxation oscillation running at a few MHz when pumped above the gap.
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Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1558-2515 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved no
Call Number Serial 1331
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Author Korneeva, Y.; Sidorova, M.; Semenov, A.; Krasnosvobodtsev, S.; Mitsen, K.; Korneev, A.; Chulkova, G.; Goltsman, G.
Title Comparison of hot-spot formation in NbC and NbN single-photon detectors Type Journal Article
Year 2016 Publication IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. Abbreviated Journal (down) IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond.
Volume 26 Issue 3 Pages 1-4
Keywords NbC, NbN SSPD, SNSPD
Abstract We report an experimental investigation of the hot-spot evolution in superconducting single-photon detectors made of disordered superconducting materials with different diffusivity and energy downconversion time values, i.e., 33-nm-thick NbN and 23-nm-thick NbC films. We have demonstrated that, in NbC film, only 405-nm photons produce sufficiently large hot spot to trigger a single-photon response. The dependence of detection efficiency on bias current for 405-nm photons in NbC is similar to that for 3400-nm photons in NbN. In NbC, large diffusivity and downconversion time result in 1-D critical current suppression profile compared with the usual 2-D profile in NbN.
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Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1051-8223 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved no
Call Number Serial 1348
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Author Tong, C.-Y. E.; Trifonov, A.; Shurakov, A.; Blundell, R.; Gol’tsman, G.
Title A microwave-operated hot-electron-bolometric power detector for terahertz radiation Type Journal Article
Year 2015 Publication IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. Abbreviated Journal (down) IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond.
Volume 25 Issue 3 Pages 2300604 (1 to 4)
Keywords NbN HEB mixer
Abstract A new class of microwave-operated THz power detectors based on the NbN hot-electron-bolometer (HEB) mixer is proposed. The injected microwave signal ( 1 GHz) serves the dual purpose of pumping the HEB element and enabling the read-out of the internal state of the device. A cryogenic amplifier amplifies the reflected microwave signal from the device and a homodyne scheme recovers the effects of the incident THz radiation. Two modes of operation have been identified, depending on the level of incident radiation. For weak signals, we use a chopper to chop the incident radiation against a black body reference and a lock-in amplifier to perform synchronous detection of the homodyne readout. The voltage measured is proportional to the incident power, and we estimate an optical noise equivalent power of  5pW/ √Hz at 0.83 THz. At higher signal levels, the homodyne circuit recovers the stream of steady relaxation oscillation pulses from the HEB device. The frequency of these pulses is in the MHz frequency range and bears a linear relationship with the incident THz radiation over an input power range of  15 dB. A digital frequency counter is used to measure THz power. The applicable power range is between 1 nW and 1 μW.
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Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1558-2515 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved no
Call Number Serial 1354
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